seriously...i'm sick...and bored

I am so bored. So bored that I'm writing a boring blog post about how boring it is to be sick in bed on a beautiful day in May. I don't know why I'm getting sick so often, or why recovery is taking so long. I am feeling kind of whiny and sorry for myself.

Here are some pictures to look at.

Jellyfish

MontereyAq-9893.jpg, originally uploaded by ScottyJ.

So, despite the pneumonia, I went down to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium with Scott and the kids on a school field trip. Probably not the best idea, but I did it anyway. I had never been there before, and I really wanted to go. The jellyfish exhibit was amazing. The whole place was incredible. I wish that we could have a wall of jellyfish in our house.

To see more photos of the aquarium, take a look at Scott's blog.

not again!

I've been under the weather for the past couple of weeks, and haven't been getting better, and it turns out that I have pneumonia. Sad. I have been sick so many times this past year, I can't even believe it. So I'm trying to stay in bed, and I'm taking antibiotics...again.

toys!

this is Fig and Fig's little friend. I made them both from felted wool sweaters.
this is Amaryllis....I got her on etsy from Look What I Can Do
my daughter loves this toy. It's very well made, I absolutely recommend her work.
these guys were made by my friend Heidi. i took this photo at the alchemy craft fair where i was a vendor a few weeks ago.

happy mother's day

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Here are some photos of my sweet, and increasingly gigantic, bundles of joy. These photos are part of a fun little series that we took at China Camp.

lemon poppy seed bread

before baking
mmmm.....after baking....

I try to bake quick bread or muffins once a week, because they're so easy and so tasty. My kids call it breakfast bread. There's a basic recipe that you can use to make pretty much any kind of quick bread. Here's my lemon poppy seed variation:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1T. baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter if you prefer)
1 1/4 cup milk
zest of two lemons
2 T poppy seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Combine the dry ingredients including the poppy seeds and lemon zest. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir it all together until it is well mixed, but you don't need to stir it too much. It can be lumpy.
3. Pour it into the loak pan and bake it for 40 minutes or so, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Cool it on a rack if you've got one.
   

DSC07896, originally uploaded by monster town.

um...hi

I haven't posted since March 16! That's just shocking. I've been keeping this blog for nearly three years now, and I'm not sure I've ever gone this long without posting.

I've been trying to spend less time on the computer, and I've been working on my garden, which is coming along nicely.

A few family news items: my son turned 13!, my daughter has re-started her blog and would appreciate any nice comments.

A few things to look at on the internets :
Carson Ellis has a blog of drawings.
Bill Moyers interviews Jon Stewart and of course it's excellent.

And a photo:
a little ceramic hedgehog, found at a thrift store.